In this review

Interior layout

The interior layout, fit and finish

Nissan Leaf hatchback driving position

You sit quite high up in the Leaf, almost as though you’re driving an MPV. You’ll either like that or you won’t, but the fact that the steering wheel only moves up and down (not in and out) is a big issue; it means there’s a good chance that you'll be forced to sit closer to, or farther away from, the wheel than you’d ideally like.

The dashboard is mostly user-friendly, although we do wish Nissan had opted for dials to tweak the interior temperature. It’s quicker and easier to just twist your wrist than stabbing away at a button.

Nissan Leaf hatchback visibility

You won’t have too many issues seeing out of the front or side windows of the Leaf, although over-the-shoulder visibility could be better. You do get a rear-view camera to help mitigate this on all but entry-level Visia trim, plus front and rear parking sensors on N-Connecta and above (these are optional on the cheaper trims).

N-Connecta and Tekna trims even come with an around-view camera that displays a bird’s eye view of the car on the central touchscreen to make parking extra easy.

The Leaf’s standard headlights are acceptable but not brilliant, so it’s worth upgrading to the LED units if you can. These are a very reasonably priced option on N-Connecta trim.

Nissan Leaf hatchback infotainment

Go for anything other than entry-level Visia trim and you’ll get a 7.0in touchscreen that’s mostly simple to use, thanks to big icons and logical menus. The physical shortcut buttons that flank the display make it easy to hop between functions and we’re grateful that Nissan hasn’t bowed to the latest trend and swapped the volume knob for a fiddly touch-sensitive pad.

Less impressive is the resolution of the display; it is nowhere near as sharp as the Volkswagen e-Golf’s 8.0in display and can be tricky to see in bright, sunny conditions.

All versions with the touchscreen come with sat-nav, a DAB radio and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring. Go for entry-level Visia trim and, instead, you’ll get a basic four-speaker FM radio and a CD player.

Meanwhile, range-topping Tekna models have a powerful Bose stereo. Sound quality still isn’t as amazing as you might imagine, though.

Nissan Leaf hatchback build quality

‘Par for the course’ is probably the best way to sum up the quality of the Leaf’s interior. It’s smarter than a Renault Zoe’s, with more appealing textured dashboard plastics that feel more solidly screwed together.

However, it’s nowhere near as classy as the interior in an e-Golf. The Leaf’s dashboard simply isn’t as dense-feeling or squidgy, and the buttons and switches feel a little more flimsy.